Gukurahundi writer produces film on juju

BULAWAYO - Crispen Ndlovu, 24, a writer-cum-film maker has finished working on his third short film production titled Juju Wedding.

The versatile artist, who has written at length on the infamous Gukurahundi atrocities, told the Daily News that the new project would premiere next month at a venue to be announced.

“I am happy that my third film project is out and I hope that it is going to add a new dimension to the local film industry,” said Ndlovu.

“I can’t say it is the best but considering the effort and resources that we invested in the project, I am confident that it will turn out to be a masterpiece but obviously it will be for the viewers to judge.”

The film was written and directed by Ndlovu with the help of a production house called Mediaplus Marketing.

Unlike in his two books Guveya and Selibona Nya where he focuses on the Gukurahundi atrocities, this time around the controversial author tackles a totally different theme — witchcraft.

Juju Wedding is a story about a wedding of Joseph and his girlfriend Zinhle which had to be called off due to the influence of juju.

“Juju Wedding is a short film that captures cynicism and mystical phenomena in an African context. It’s more of an exploration of cultural complexity particularly the black magic issue. In fact, it digs into the influence of the supernatural world.”

The film, which incorporates both IsiNdebele and English, was shot in Bulawayo city centre and in several suburbs of the city.

Ndlovu told the Daily News that he was fairly at home writing both books and film scripts.

“You can’t separate the two. Books and scripts are almost the same. If you can write books, in my opinion, you can also write plays.”

He, however, bemoaned the absence of a vibrant film industry in Bulawayo.

“People want to watch local films on national television yet we don’t have that platform. My wish is to take it to arts and film festivals where it will be exposed to a larger audience,” he said.

Comments (2)

siyabonga Mr Ndlovu

phillip Sithole - 23 January 2015

siyabonga Mr Ndlovu

phillip Sithole - 23 January 2015

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